The Fighters
by Mystical Authoress
Summary: Second oneshot in the 'PHANTASMA' series, AU fic. Everyone is a fighter. Whatever challenge came up, they weren't going to fall that easily, especially with the support of friends and family.


**Author note: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. This oneshot was inspired by the song 'The Fighter' by Gym Class Heroes ft. Ryan Tedder, and I don't own the song.**

**This is the second oneshot in the PHANTASMA series, so if you haven't read 'Masquerade,' you might want to read it to make sense of what the group ****_'PHANTASMA'_**** is exactly. Warning: Like 'Masquerade,' this is an AU fic. In fact (I think this is obvious), all of the oneshots in the PHANTASMA series are AU fics, so get used to it.**

**Constructive criticism will be great, and I hope you enjoy! Thanks!**

The Fighters

"Wake up! Guys...it's already 7:15 in the morning! Get up!"

"Shoot! And I was going to get up at 6 today for a morning jog..."

"Too bad, Sora, it was raining anyway...Kairi and I better run to work in fifteen minutes. See you later."

Life wasn't easy for Sora, Riku and Kairi. It was a struggle to keep up the grades in school, or to even have enough funds to go to school. Sora worked early weekday mornings delivering newspapers while Riku and Kairi were cashiers at a cafe every Friday afternoon and all of Saturday. Whoever didn't have work would clean the apartment, from the kitchenette to the bathroom. They didn't have much choice about the matter. Their parents died when they were kids, and there was no orphanage in Twilight Town. If it wasn't for them joining Phantasma, they wouldn't have anyone to help them.

Zexion would stop by weekly to help with schoolwork and maybe give them some cash; sometimes $20, sometimes $30. Saix and Xenmas were willing to help pay half of the monthly rent and all of the school tuition ("It's important for one to have a good education," Xenmas had explained). Every day, they would be hacking at schoolwork, delivering newspapers, working the cashier, attending Phantasma meetings when they could, paying bills and studying tirelessly. On top of that, they often had to make their own costumes, for the parties Phantasma occasionally held, out of whatever they could find.

Even the actions of buying things they needed could be an obstacle. Prices were going up, and they forced themselves to look through every flyer to find the cheapest (but still healthy) food and the best deals available. If they had coupons, they would use them to their advantage as well as their student id cards to get discounts.

They were fighting tirelessly to survive out there, and they would continue to do so for quite some time, especially once they got into university and such. They were going to live life until they were dead. Even if they had a bad day, they would pick themselves off the floor and keep moving.

* * *

The members Phantasma were fighting every day, from discrimination from other people. Some people called them nasty names while others would try to beat up those who were in Phantasma. Cloud Strife was one of those made fun of, and every day he would do his best to ignore them. He tried his best not to hurt anyone who tried to hurt him, but he did send a few people packing a few times with broken ribs or a sprained ankle.

"Why must you all discriminate? We are all human! Does it really matter about which club we're in or anything like that, if we're all the same sort of creature? There's no point with this!"

That was only one of the few meaningful messages he and almost all the rest of the Phantasma were trying to spread. It didn't matter to him whether the other people bullied him for being in Phantasma or not. Not a single bit.

* * *

Everybody in Phantasma was a fighter. No matter what challenges they faced, they weren't going to lose to them that easily. From the youngest to the oldest, from the richest to the poorest, everyone faced a fight, and they were not going to fall, especially when they had friends and family to support them.

People called them fighters, and they truly deserved that title.


End file.
